


Some Live Like Lazarus

by Liviapenn



Category: Eroica Yori Ai o Komete | From Eroica with Love
Genre: M/M, Podfic Available, Presumed Dead, Yuletide 2008
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-12-23
Updated: 2008-12-23
Packaged: 2017-10-14 10:10:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/148138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liviapenn/pseuds/Liviapenn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's not good to be too predictable, in Klaus' line of work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Some Live Like Lazarus

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Laura Kaye](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Laura+Kaye).



> Written as a treat for Laura Kaye in the Yuletide 2008 Challenge

Agent G actually fainted when Klaus limped into the lobby of the Hotel Yasmin, uttering a short, shocked cry and then slumping gracefully against Agent B. B wasn't much better, almost letting G slide to the floor before shaking himself out of his shock and slinging a hand under his arm. "Sir, you-- You're--"

"What?" Klaus snapped. He wished he'd stopped for a smoke outside the way he'd wanted to, but he'd known they'd need his report back in Bonn as soon as possible. "Why are you standing around staring? Why are you--?" He stared at the assorted agents, at Agent A's hand, frozen over a pile of room keys on the front desk, at all the agents' stunned, bloodless faces and the luggage piled at their feet. "Where the hell are you going?"

"Bonn, sir-- we've been recalled," Agent A said.

"Why?" Klaus demanded, and then it hit him. "You didn't think..."

"Your car went off the bridge into the river, sir," Agent A said, as if Klaus fucking needed to be reminded. "And then--"

"Exploded, yes! _I was there_. And so you all just decided to fuck off home?!" Klaus indicated the luggage with a sharp gesture.

"We searched!" Agent Z protested. "I-- We all searched, sir, for hours! Even Lawrence--"

"Ah, well, if _Lawrence_ was helping--!" Klaus said with cutting sarcasm, then too a deep breath. It stung; his throat hurt from breathing smoke, and half-drowning, and from not shouting at Mischa when the KGB agent's men had temporarily captured him in the woods outside the city. It was probably not very good for him to yell, right now, although it would have been satisfying. Besides, he knew it was not really the Alphabets' fault. They were not authorized to continue the mission on their own. They were quite right to head back to Bonn, if that was what had been ordered when they reported... Klaus' death.

Klaus shuddered, once, then winced at his own moment of superstitious weakness. His was a dangerous career. He'd had close shaves more than once. But he'd never been assumed dead for any length of time. He wondered briefly if they'd had time to reach his father.

"Go," he told the assorted agents. He turned to Agent A. "My room key," he said, and A jerked to attention and began sorting through the keys on the counter, finally finding Klaus' and handing it over.

"Your things are still..." Agent A said, avoiding his eyes. "We were going to have the hotel return them to your-- to--"

Klaus would have told him what he thought of _that_ , but Agent G was starting to stir in B's arms, and Klaus wanted to get upstairs before he had to deal with a messy emotional scene. "Fine. Now will you just go?" No need to waste the plane tickets, after all. "Call the Chief from the airport and inform him I'll follow on the next flight."

"Yes, sir," Agent A said, and fled, followed by the rest of the agents, B practically dragging G along with both their suitcases. Klaus leaned against the counter, waiting until they were all gone.

He sighed, and headed upstairs.

* * *

He pushed open the door, and a prickle on the back of his neck told him there was someone else in the room. He sighed. It was Eroica, of course. He was sitting on the edge of Klaus' bed, leaning forward over something cupped in his hands-- Klaus' .44 Magnum.

"Bonham, unless," Eroica began wearily, then stopped. The gun slipped from his hands, but he caught it before it hit the ground with his usual eerie grace. He hadn't even looked down. His eyes were locked unblinkingly on Klaus. "Oh my God," he said, "oh my God," and Klaus just had time to shut the door behind him before Eroica's arms were locked around his neck, the Magnum still clutched in one shaking hand.

Klaus stood still. For one terrifying moment he had thought Eroica would kiss him. But he hadn't even tried. He'd just pulled Klaus close, tucking his chin into Klaus' shoulder and hanging on tight.

"Christ," Eroica whispered. He sounded as if he'd been stabbed.

Klaus tilted his head up and back a bit, away from the persistent tickle of Eroica's curls. He should be be pushing Eroica off-- shoving him away-- the man's goddamn _presumption_ was infuriating, if nothing else. But he had used up all his adrenaline, all his legendary stubbornness, crawling out of the burning wreck of his car, evading Mischa's men-- he had spent the whole damned day fighting, his whole damned _life_ , and now he was just too bloody tired. Besides, Eroica had always been deceptively strong, and legendarily bad at letting things go.

Eventually Eroica pulled in a deep breath and let go all on his own, taking a half-step back. Lifting a hand, he rubbed carelessly at his reddened eyes before offering Klaus a fair approximation of his usual brilliant smile. "Oh, Major, say something, will you? Just so I know it really is you?"

"Of course it's really me, you fucking grave-robber." Klaus said obligingly. "You have no morals at all, do you? What do you think you're doing? Even with both hands, you don't really think you could handle a .44 Magnum--"

Eroica choked on his laughter, pressing both hands over his mouth to stifle himself. "All right," he said, "it is you." He glanced down sheepishly at the .44 still clutched in one fist, then offered it to Klaus.

Klaus took it, scowling, and set it on top of the dresser behind him.

"How in the world you do these things..." Eroica said as he turned around. He didn't finish, just shook his head and smiled helplessly.

"Do what?"

"Well, I assume you got your man," Eroica said, as if it were the most obvious conclusion in the world. "You wouldn't be back here if you hadn't accomplished your mission-- _Major?"_

Klaus swallowed hard. Eroica was staring, shocked. Perhaps even more shocked than he'd been a minute ago, when Klaus had walked in the door, alive. Klaus must have made some kind of noise, disbelief or rage, he didn't know what. He could feel something in his throat, struggling to escape, and he had no fucking idea what his face was giving away. Oh, goddamned bloody Eroica, always right there, always armed and dangerous, ready to stab you right in your fucking weak spot. To stick the knife right into the spot you hadn't known was weak to begin with-- It was infuriating, so Klaus grabbed the thief by the arms, giving him a hard shake, then shoved him back into the wall. Eroica gasped, letting Klaus push him without resistance, but he was still fucking staring, eyes flickering back and forth as if he were reading secrets even Klaus didn't know.

"Stop it," Klaus said.

"Stop what?" Eroica asked breathlessly. "Believing in you? Not likely--I _know_ you." Another flicker of those searching eyes, and Eroica's gaze was as intimate as the rough grope of a knowing hand would have been. "Is that it? Oh, Major--is that it? Does it really surprise you? Of course they don't know you. And of course I do."

"Bastard--" Klaus said, pulling him away from the wall to thump him back into it one more time, and Eroica's grin widened. If he started to laugh, if he _laughed_ at Klaus after the day he'd had, Klaus would fucking murder him. Idiot, worthless, selfish thief, who would miss him? --and of course, heedless of the danger, foolish and triumphant, Eroica began to laugh.

Klaus put a hand on his neck, his thumb pressing just the barest threat against Eroica's throat. Eroica's eyes flashed dangerously, and Klaus relaxed his grip. Even that, he thought, wouldn't stop him hearing that laughter.

He growled in frustration, low in his throat, slid his hand back into Eroica's hair and kissed him instead.

* * *

"All right, then," Klaus said, later.

"All right, what?" Dorian said. He had been staring at the ceiling, dazed, for at least ten minutes.

"Tell me that didn't surprise you," Klaus said, and this time when Dorian laughed, it wasn't so bad.

"Yes," he said, "yes, all right. You surprised me. Well done, you."

Klaus smiled to himself. That was all right, then.

It wasn't a good idea, in his line of work, to get too predictable.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] Some Live Like Lazarus by Liviapenn](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5658631) by [Rhea314 (Rhea)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhea/pseuds/Rhea314)




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